3 Things That Emotionally Resilient People Have In Common

With any hardship comes the opportunity to bounce back. In psychology, this is referred to as emotional or psychological resilience—and without it, we don't respond very well to stress, change, and adversity.

What exactly is it that makes someone emotionally resilient in the face of hardship? According to Neo, it all comes down to the meaning you're able to give the situation: "One thing that makes or breaks a person is the way we process the event—whether we're able to make meaning of it all," she says.

And this isn't to say you're "happy" about something, per se, but you don't dwell on it either, she explains. It's the moment you're able to say, Hey, you know what? That's life. I'm choosing to understand this and trying to make some meaning out of it, she adds.

So, how do you achieve emotional resilience? One way, according to Neo, is to cultivate your psychological capital, which is essentially psychological strength. Psychological capital, she says, is essentially "knowing who you are, mustering your strengths, and using that to sand over your rough edges." In the face of outer change, staying true to this inner compass is essential.